Friday, November 2, 1984/The Battalion/Page 11
'Brash 8111/still Sarajevo high
United Press International
NEW YORK — The downhill
racer is still on a high.
When the nation last saw Bill
Johnson he was the Joe Namath of
the alpine ski circuit, predicting he
would win the men’s downhill event
at the Winter Olympics in Sarajevo,
Yugoslavia, then pulling it off much
to the chagrin of the European rac
ers, especially the proud Austrians.
"Brash Billy” they called him and
he looked and acted the part. Stand
ing in front of a microphone and
flashing an impish grin that would
have been perfectly at home in an
old “Bowery Boys” movie, he reac
ted to the question of what the vic
tory would mean to him with the
perfect wise-guy answer:
“Millions. I mean we’re talking
millions here.”
That was almost nine months ago
and yet being a celebrity hasn’t
changed Bill Johnson very much.
Oh, he gets recognized on the street
occasionally and he may have a little
bit more money now from his ap
pearances at ski shows in conjunc
tion with his work for Raichle Moli-
tor, a manufacturer of ski supplies.
Johnson does not divulge how
much money he may be getting in
trust from ski manufacturers. But he
says there are no millions in his bank
account and he still has that carefree
attitude that was poetically mirrored
in his hell-bent style on the slopes.
Not that he couldn’t be extremely
wealthy or that he won’t be. It’s just
that being recognized as the No. 1
downhill racer in the world is pretty
heady stuff and Bill Johnson wants
to fly down the mountain some
more. There’ll be time to make mil
lions later.
“I could have made it (the Olym
pic gold medal) really lucrative,”
Johnson said. “I stayed amateur and
didn’t sign with an agency or make
any major commitments to national
advertisers. Even that kind of stuff is
legal now under amateur rules.
“I pretty much made a commit
ment to some of my sponsors for the
next four years. So I’m going to the
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Calgary Olympics and try to do it
again. After that we’ll play it year-by
year.”
It has been a full eight and a half
months for Johnson since he re
turned home from the Olympic
Games. There have been ski shows,
benefits, motivational talks. Name it
and Johnson has probably done it.
It’s been New York one day then off
to Sacramento, Calif., the next. Not
to mention two trips to Europe to
practice with the U.S. ski team.
This year he will be the Alpine cir
cuits’ top dog instead of on the bot
tom looking up. After all, he firmly
believes he’s the best downhill racer
in the world right now.
“My style is different than most
downhill skiers,” he said. “It’s geared
more to the aerodynamics of skiing.
1 lose a little bit of time in the turns
due to lack of turning techique but
still I get through the turns with
good speed and that’s what counts.”
Johnson’s high opinion of his ski
ing talents has rankled some mem
bers of the skiing fraternity. Yet he
insists that his prediction lor a gold
medal at Saravejo wasn’t imperti
nent at all, merely an honest ap
praisal of his skills after having care
fully analyzed the course.
“When I predicted I would win I
really believed it at the time,” he
said. “I never really set my goals on
the top three. It was No. 1 or no
thing.”
Johnson may be the only thing the
U.S. men’s ski team has to cheer
about this year. He is the only re
turning member from the A-team in
either the downhill or the slalom.
“It’s hard to say how well we’re
going to do in downhill,” Johnson
said. “I was just over there the last
few days of the camp and I was win
ning training runs by a couple of sec
onds. That’s quite a bit of time.
“Doug Lewis, who finally broke
into the top 10 at the last race last
year, could come into the next year
with some confidence. The rest of
them are kind of sporadic. They
have one good run in 20.”
Like a Bill Johnson we once knew.
The
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Tinsley’s in College Station is now open until
midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. Tinsley’s at
1905 Texas Ave. in College Station only. 693-1669.
Where Do Richard Smith (R)
and Neeley Lewis (D)
Stand on College Tuition?
Neeley Lewis:
Richard Smith:
“does not promise that the current $4 per
semester hour will remain the same through
the next session.”
“...Colleges need to be prepared to pay more
of their share through higher tuition.”
According to The B/CS Eagle
Oct. 28, 1984
“Promises not to raise...tuition.”
“The strength of the state’s colleges is that
they are accessible to everyone.”
According to The B/CS Eagle
Oct. 28, 1984
Richard Smith has been a friend of Texas A&M for a long time. He’s an
Aggie, ’59. He is a member of the Association of Former Students and
The Aggie Club. All of Richard Smith’s brothers attended Texas A&M,
and so have two of his daughters.
He fought for our right to vote when the Democrats set the Special
Election last semester during Spring Break. Richard Smith then provided
a shuttle bus to take students to vote absentee.
Richard Smith is dedicated to a better Texas A&M and low tuition.
The facts are clear.
Don’t be fooled by the Democrat!
When the students of Texas A&M needed a friend, Richard Smith was
there...and he will continue to be there for us when he’s our State
Representative.
On November 6,
let’s start over.
And stay strong.
He’ll Put Us First.
Pol. Ad\. Paid tor by Citizens tor Richard Smith. P.O. Box 3743 Bryan. Texas 77805.